MeAC – Measuring Progress of eAccessibility in Europe

Below are the results of the MeAC eAccessibility status measurement for Sweden.

Websites

The MeAC survey assessed the accessibility of a similar sample of 12 key websites in each of the EU Member States, as well as the USA, Canada and Australia. These included 6 key public websites (national government, national parliament, and key ministries such as social, employment, health and education) and 6 key sectoral/commercial websites (e.g. railways, TV, newspapers, retail banking). All websites were evaluated against WCAG 1.0 Level A criteria, including both automatic and manual evaluation. (For methodological details see Annex II of the project report).

The results for Sweden, as measured in 2008, were as follows:

• none of the selected public websites passed even the automatic evaluation
• none of the sectoral/commercial websites passed even the automatic evaluation

Telecoms

Utilization of telecoms services and equipment can pose a variety of accessibility challenges for different disability groups. For the purposes of the MeAC study the availability of a number of selected accessibility provisions was surveyed in each of the 27 countries. In Sweden the following situation was identified in 2008:

• The main emergency number (112 or other) was directly accessible by means of text telephones
• A text relay service and a video relay service was available
• Of the two main mobile telephony operators, one provided eAccessibility-related information to customers with disabilities via its website. Both offered models that are labeled as hearing aid compatible via their online sales channel
• Of the two main landline telephony operators, one operator provided eAccessibility-related information to customers with disabilities via its website. One operator offered models that are labeled as hearing aid compatible via its online sales channel

Broadcasting

To ensure that people with disabilities can access and enjoy TV broadcast programs in the same manner than everyone else, a variety of accessibility provisions need to be made available, including subtitling and sign language interpretation for people with hearing impairments and audio description for people with vision impairments. As regards their availability in Sweden, the following was found out by the MeAC study in 2008:

• Of the two main public TV channels (both operated by the same broadcaster), in 2007:
  • both provided programs with subtitling. In terms of volumes, subtitled programs provided by the broadcaster amounted to 90% of its national language programming and 68-90% of its overall programming (information for individual channels was not available)
  • both provided programs with signing. In terms of volumes, signed programs provided by the broadcaster amounted to 2% of its overall programming (information for individual channels was not available)
  • none provided programs with audio description. It is possible to buy a device which reads subtitles (30% of all the broadcast time)
• Of the two main commercial TV channels, in 2007:
  • both provided programs with subtitling. In terms of volumes, these amounted to 35% of their overal national language programming
  • none provided programs with signing
  • none provided programs with audio description

Self- service terminals

The utilisation of standard self-service terminals can pose variouse accessibility challenges to different groups. In the banking sector, for instance, automatic teller machines (ATMs) which are designed to meet the needs of vision impaired people are now being manufactured. Usually referred to as “talking” ATMs, such machines have a voice output option via headphones and/or external loud speakers.

As regards the availability of such banking terminals in Sweden, the following situation was found by the MeAC study in 2008:

• Of the two main retail banks operating in the country, both banks had installed talking ATMs – all ATMs deployed have accessibility features and when an old one needs to be replaced the new one will also have such features
• Other banks had deployed “talking” ATMs in Sweden at that time, as well

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